Fastening means for alternative panel arrangements



July 16, 1957 G. F. swENsoN FASTENING MEANS FOR ALTERNATIVE PANELARRANGEMENTS Filed Feb. 8. 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet. l

` INVENToR. l GJ-'EEDEE/Gl .SWEMYON BY mm AnaB/vnf.

July 16, 1957 G. F. SWENSON 2,799,058

FASTENING MEANS FOR ALTERNATIVE PANEL ARRANGEMENTS Filed Feb. 8, 1952 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVTOR. G. manie/cn mmm:

- This V,invention relates lgenerally-"to wallf'an'd @ceiling-constructions, Yand has yreference tmorepartieul'arlyf tosuch-eonstructions in whichplywood :panelsl particularly, and-alsopanels: ofiother materials :are securedtolstnds f.orotherpaneLsupportingmeansiwith theuseof fastening v a devices.

stiontasd-isclosed; inhis"applica1ion,iSerialfNoL 699,244, :iiledSeptember x25,v 1946;-` tandfissuing into-Patent-"'No. 2;/,0 6;8;-38,,dated-April'26,` 1955;; andrparticularly.

I fgrQoved-edgepfeature, such: fasuillustrated in'igs l1v .l -513 k@andy i. 15. f While particularly :adaptable f i to f'the f 7.SearsL-dea,this-invention maysbetused With'zany grooved .ri-.buildings materialasnappearsrhereinafter.

Tlhe. obvious methodf.'ofwattaehingipanels tofisupporting`tmeansfisfbythe-sooalled'.faceenailing procedurefwherein7mailsareimerelyfzdriven through :the `panels. intothelpanel Alsi-,ipportingg.means therebehind. 1. Aread-ily. apparent'fdrawrw.backofithisiproeedure is'that thernailheads perse, being `yvisible,@detract rfrom they desirable .uninterrupted surface fraddition,ythejvery` drivingxof e such nails `vinto lithe sur-faces .1,lofyapianels -isfprone )to :causer-marringo'fithe `surfaces fof y-thexpanels adjaeentzeach nail driventth'erein. -lAceoi-d- ,irigrly,einwthe; cases fof; faceanailingit becomes :necessary o ,refinish-lthemarredsUraCes of Vthe .panels after-2in- .rstallation,orfalternfatively;I tofdeferzlinislingiof? the entire '.panelsurfacesuntil,v after installation,` 'which .is fobviously moreexpensivefandzless ,Isatisfa'ctoryzthan aV factory, lpro-,v..duction-lineAinishin-g job. Asidefromthe c'ost considerai `tionslrconcerningrbothv these procedures, it is obvious lthat :for,fasatisfactory-fcompletion of '.suehi'installations, a.-skilledwoodinisher must '.be employed at lthe -pointoflinstallation;@suchifskill normally 'being 'beyond "the 'skillofthe-ordinary carpenter engaged `r`toinstall the panels andparticularly invariably beyondtheskillof thefhome ,owner-.orpthers whoundertake theinstllationlontheir fown.

In addition tothel problems .setforth above, inusinlg a `rmaterialnrnadeup inseparatefpanel"form, ltheline ibe- .tween-adjacentpanels is alwayspresent even when the j panels'.arefnevslyV installed.Generallygfthis-line of demar- Y.cation between adjacent panels becomesprogressively Twor-setas:certain-'of thematerials which'l areused-become .fdryandfieonsequently shrink. Thisishrinkage occursvnotonly.in plywood,lwoodfsynthetic lumber, gypsum board `and.ihe-likeyfbut;also;1infplastics, .resins and 'other-materials In accordance withone-aspect oftheipresent invention,

'since-t-heaforesaid ylinebetween adjacent panels 4is Vdiiculto-torbida;its presence. is acknowledged and 'the 'disadvantage-thereof overcome byaccentuatingzand lbeauti- .fying -thisvaapparent defect by providing an1interesting fstructuralichange VV`FIhis isachieved 'by utilizing 'alnovel lfastening-zrneans in accordance with2the present inventiontonrnount` the..-panels=';in'vertical -edgevoverlapping relationship..In addition to affording a meanswhereby'the tes 2,799,058 Patented July16, 1957 22 ,1,i1ur1avoida'b1ey demarcationl line between-"panels isturned t-o advantage for providing interesting shadoweeffects:f-whichare :enhanced or-.dim-inished dependingupon the relativeposition of the viewer, such an arrangement,

5vconcomitantlyprovides foreexpansion of -the panels.

cordance withtheilpresentinvention jandwith no alteration in thestructure"thereofznecessary,lperrnits an A"alternativel .mounting` offthese same f panels. "That is to lsay,

L-ithegpanels1-mayf bellrnountedlby means of the novellfasteningimeansin-the 4moreconventionalfHush-surface edgeabutting ,r-relatio'nsliip,`-if such arrangement 'is A*deemed moredesirablefor'aparticularinstallation or-ipart of .anitinstallatiomr i.1re.-,1fonewall.

either of the types of panel installationirei'erred tofherezniinabovel(is e.; either jedge-fov'erlaporV `Hush-surface ledge- YJabuttin'g), the:novel fastening; means-'aords a-I mounting for the panels withrfnofurtherlstructural'adaptation ,.there'ofiandwith-Jcompleteff-avoidance@of the-visiblefface Wrongller fori' Wrongstain 'by :an uninformed carpenter .i rmtherlpersoniattherpointof\installation is eliminated. n. :consideration @of -i'the iforegoing, a prime :object of I :the .invention 1 isl .tofp'rovidei apanel fasteningdevice with iwhich panels frnayl be ffmounted @as desiredin"either of :ftwo relationships, namely; in `flush-surface`vedge-abutting crelatio'nship for in Vl:edge overlap relationship.

i' Another impottantobject-ofIthe` invention is to; provide 1a.fas-tenin'gl.devicefor'panelsiwhich attains the-foregoingSobject'fwithout any visible-and surface? face-nailing.

.'Stillvanother object of thev inventionisto provide a .f panelfastening =`device whieh while functioning to i give-xttheZforegoingmesults is fof comparatively simple vstruc-:turewherebythe-i sa'me'rnaybemanufactured :by a stampngpperation-Whicn-lends V'itself to 'mass-"production -faimethodsfandl resultantminimization ofV costs. y

Anoth'er-object-ofT-the invent-ion is to provide vfastening -ldevicesfwhiehmay -beapplied to a' panel prior` to' lifting fithesame"to-positionandwhich remain attached tofthe t p'a'ril\-'-while J the-idevice 'is nailed tol the panel support whereby the edge--'relationship"thereto lof ian adjacent fpanelfmaybechosen as it isinstalled.

*Yet another o'bjeet of the invention is to provide '.fasetening"devices whih, whileperrnitting lateral expansion of the panels,supported' thereby, 'resilently minimizeaplay f`of"the"panelstowards`and awayfrom' the panel supportingrneans 'and from eachother.

KAnoth'erobject ofthe'invention is to provide edgel'grooved Apanelswhich' are Aparticularly adapted for use withthe' "novely vfastening'devices of the 'present invention.

Still-another`object of'the invention yis to provide'fasteningdevicesjwhich may 'be vstruckfrornsheet metal-for mlded-'from','plastic "material as .structurally integral units.

. .Still another: object ofthe invention is Vtoprovi'de, fasten-.ing-devices which havel flanges so. aligned f that the.v panels,securedihereby are .automatically .properly aligned `by he .cooperationof saidfflangeswith ther legs-.of-.thepanels A.deiining.the-.edge-grooves therein.

" `Still other bjeetsgnndadvantages ofi thezinventionf'willnbecomezapparent anditheenatureiof. 4the latterwillbefmo're treadilyeunderstood fwhenr :the *following :description and Aclaimsl are read.with ire-'ference Ito the drawings *accom- 3 panying and forming partof this specification and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a preferred form ofthe fastening means of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the fastening means disclosed in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale of part ofan edge-grooved panel to which the fastening means of Figs. l and 2 hasbeen applied;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the panel of Fig. 3 on aslightly diminished scale and mounted on a wall supporting means inflush-surface edge-abutting relationship with a second edge groovedpanel by means of the fastening device of Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the edgegrooved panels andwall supporting means shown in Fig. 4, but with the panels mounted inthe alternative edge y overlap relationship;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale of the topcorners of the panels shown in flush-surface edge-abutting relationshipin Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale of the topcorners of the panels shown in edge overlap relationship in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of another form of thefastening means of the present invention; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of still another formof the fastening means of the present invention.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, a preferred form of a v fasteningmeans in accordance with the present invention comprises a substantiallyflat main body element 2. This main body element 2 may be of sheet metalmaterial, plastic material or of any other suitable material. If saidelement 2 is of the former material, two pairs of flanges 6, 7 arepreferably struck and bent from the main body element 2 in the mannershown; whereas, if of plastic material, said flanges may be moldedintegrally with the main body element 2. Specifically, flanges 6 areformed to be in offset relationship thereto. As illustrated in Fig. 1,the flanges 6 are spaced apart so that there is between them a section 4of the main body element 2 in the same plane of the latter, while thepoint of attachment of said flanges to body 2 is along an imaginary lineX-X. The flanges 7 are either struck and bent or molded integrally inoffset relationship to main body element 2 and likewise extendsubstantially parallel thereto, and from line X-X, but in a directionsubstantially opposite to that of the first pair of flanges 6. Thisrelationship will be more clearly apparent from Fig. 2.

Each of the flanges 6 and 7 preferably are not completely flat but arebent somewhat as indicated at 5 in Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 7, for purposeswhich will appear from the description given hereinafter.

The main body element 2 is provided with at least one aperture 3 throughwhich a nail or screw may extend for fastening the entire device to apanel supporting means 13 as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. For purposesof illustration, a screw 3 is shown by dotted lines in each of thesefigures. 'I'he notches 14 in the main body element 2 are merely theresults of the stamping operation whereby the flanges 6 and 7 of thenext adjacent main body element are struck when the fastening device ismade by that method.

In accordance with the invention, panels 8 are provided with side edgegrooves 12 therein. As indicated in Fig. 3, the fastening device of Fig.l is mounted on a leg 11 defining one side of the groove 12 in panel 8.For purposes which will appear hereinafter, the said leg 11 isconstructed to be somewhat shorter than the'leg 10. The outer surface ofthe latter is part of the wear or decorative surface and accordingly isdirected away from the supporting means 13 as indicated more clearly inFigs. 6 and 7.

.referred to above.

The bent configuration 5 of the flanges 6 and 7 mentioned hereinbeforeaffords means to clamp resiliently the legs 11 of each of two adjacentpanels 8 and 9 between the said flanges 6 and 7 and the section 4 andthe main body element 2, respectively, when the panels 8 and 9 aremounted in hush-surface edge-abutting relationship as will be seen inFig. 6.

Because of the thickness of flanges 6 and 7, the legs 11 of adjacentpanels 8 and 9 may never abut, as will be observed in Fig. 6. Of course,this will be so for the construction shown no matter how small thethickness of the fastening element may be chosen from a practicalstandpoint. From such standpoint, the approximate range of preferablethickness may be from .010 to .025 inch for the usual installations.However, it will be apparent that deviations in the thinner as well asin the thicker direction are possible depending upon such factors as,for example, the size and weight of the panels to be secured, thestrength of the material used for the fastening device, the workabilityof such material to permit the proper cutting and bending, and the like.In any case, legs 10 of panels 8 and 9 are preferably provided to belonger than legs 11 so that the former may be closely adjacent eachother or abut each other as in Figures 4 and 6 to avoid the formation ofan unsightly spacing line between panels upon the mounting thereof. Itwill be apparent that in some installations, the existence of a spacingline may be immaterial as, for example, when a molding strip is to beused in any case to cover the adjacent edges of the panels. In suchevent, the aforesaid differentiation of the lengths of legs 10 and 11 ofeach of panels 8 and 9 may be omitted. In another case, the abutment ofthe legs 10 of adjacent panels may still be achieved without providingthe leg length differentiation Instead, notches may be provided in legs11 of the panels to accommodate the thickness of each of the flanges.Such notches may be provided in one or both of the adjacent legs 11 of apair of panels.

Alternatively, panels 8 and 9 may be mounted in edgeoverlap relationshipas indicated in Fig. 5 instead of the flush-surface edge-abuttingrelationship described hereinbefore. In accordance with the invention,the fastening means of Fig. 1 may be adapted without any structuralchange thereof to mount the panels 8 and 9 in the former relationship.The manner of such adaptation will be more readily apparent uponinspection of Fig. 7 which will now be described in detail hereinbelow.

As in the adaptation of the fastening device for causing flush-surfaceedge-abutting relationship of the panels as disclosed in Figs. 4 and 6and shown more clearly in Fig. 3, the leg 11 of panel 8 is clampinglyengaged by the flanges 6 of the fastening device 2. However, in thiscase, the adjacent panel 9 is positioned with the leg 11 thereofinterfitted within the groove 12 of panel 8 and with the leg 10 of panel8 interfitted within the groove 12 of panel 9. Thus, leg 11 of panel 9is not clampingly engaged by the flanges 7 but rather the said flangesengage the inner surface of the panel 9', i. e., the surface which facesinwardly toward the wall supporting means 13. The bent configuration 5of the flanges 6 and 7 function to urge the panel 9 outwardly so thatthe inner surface of its leg 11 engages the inner surface of leg 10 ofpanel 8 as clearly shown in Fig. 7. Thus, the relationship of panels 8and 9 is resiliently maintained.

In another embodiment of the invention, a modified fastening device 24,as indicated in Fig. 8, may be employed. In this modification, a pair offlanges 26 are struck and bent (or molded) from a pair of diametricallyopposite corners of a generally rectangularly shaped blank to animaginary line Y-Y similar to line X-X of Fig. 1, whereby the saidflanges 26 are offset to extend in a plane substantially parallel to themain flat body portion 24 as indicated. Then, struck from the remainingdiametrically opposite corners of the said blank, a smaller pair offlanges 27 are struck and bent (or mold- Hed) in offset relationship`ytothe -maingbody por-tiong-24.` to

.'extendtin ysaid plane. .Due to-theextent'ofdiianges 26 and 27. to a..common. 'imaginary-Iline,V of tattachment VvY-Y a pain ofvapert-ures-23may be provided ineach of the ftwofsections24-of-the-mainbodyjportion 24. Either `of, thesevapertures -23--maybe-uti-lize'd I' for fastening the device to a support-Yby-meansofA'ar-nail or serewtherel through depending-uponwhichfpair=of tlanges26,27

- are clamped tothe first'panelbeing-installed. VThis will appear moreclearlyV-from-a-description of the operation ofv the inventiongivenahereinafter.

'f In the lembodimentoithe i-nventionlas disclosed in Fig.

9, at pair of flanges A36 -and 37'-a-re1struck andbent k(or molded)frommone -corner-of-- the lV{blank 34 along any imaginary line- Z-Z.-However, #as-indicated, one of said iauges isfformed-toextend-in-a1direction substantially opposite that of the other. Anotherpair of flanges 36 and 37 are similarly formed from the corner of theblank diametrically opposite the first corner and along the same lineZ-Z. All of the flanges 36, 37 are bent in offset relationship to themain body portion 34 as in the modification described previously. Hereagain an aperture 33 may be provided in each of sections 34 of the mainbody portion 34, while each of the flanges 36 and 37 are preferably bentas at 35 to present the desired characteristics of resiliency.

While the structure of the fastening device of the present invention andthe relationships thereof to the panels used therewith in eitherflush-surface edge-abutting relationship or the edge overlappingrelationship has been described hereinbefore, a practical application ofthese devices with panels to be installed, will now be described.

For example, in the case of the use of the preferred embodiment of theinvention disclosed in Fig. l, the device 2 is attached to the inner leg11 of a panel 8 by means of the flanges 6 as shown in Fig. 3. In thisrelationship of parts, it will be seen that the main body portion 2projects outwardly from the edge of the panel 8 with the aperture 3exposed. The panel 8 with the device 2 attached thereto may then beplaced against the panel supporting means 13 in the desired positionwhile a nail or screw is driven home through the aperture 3 to fastenthe device 2 to the panel supporting means 13 and with it the panel 8.

The next panel 9 is then raised to bring the edge thereof adjacent theedge of panel 8. Then, depending upon the relationship desired, theinner leg 11 of panel 9 is alternatively slid under the fianges 7 (as inFig. 6) to achieve the edge-abutment arrangement; or, on the other hand,slid over the flanges 7 and 6 within the groove 12 of panel 8 asindicated in Fig. 7, if it is the edge-overlap arrangement that isdesired. This illustrates one of the important features of theinvention; namely, that the novel fastening device is adaptable for thetwo alternate uses above indicated with no structural change thereofnecessary. Furthermore, it will be apparent that the choice of use maybe made at any time up to the very moment of installation. As a matterof fact, due to the nature of the present novel dual purpose fasteningmeans, a different choice may later be made subsequent toanyinstallation based on a first choice. Thus, on remolding, or wherefor one reason or another, different effects are later desired for aparticular room, or for one wall, or several walls thereof, the panelsand the novel fastening devices therefor may be demounted easily andjust as easily reinstalled in the alernate relationship.

kIn addition, the alignment of the lianges along the imagi- `.nary.1ine.-X-.X,. assurestthe fine .alignment of the panels The.devicesshowninFigs 8. and 9A may be vused in .a.,mfannerlsimilar tothat.set forthxa-bove. Specifically,

yeither of the.devices 1.24or'r34 maybe attached to a panel by. means ofalpairfoffianges extending inthe same direction, and f a secondd panelmounted adjacent the first exemplified 4in Figs.. 6, and 7..\eyer,.that.dueto .the symmetrical arrangement of the mentioned panel.in eithergof.thechosen relationships ItV will be apparentVY howflangesandthe provision of the apertures in each, .both

[the devices 24-, and,34 ,may be. applied to the first panel -witheither of,thesaidgapertures=exposed for ultimate V`fastening to` the,panel supporting means.

'It willbeievidentto those skilled in the art that various`cllariges,andmodificationsmay bernade in the devices .and in ,ftheystructural combinations v-therewith specifically describe'd1-above-without .departing 4from the spirit vof my invention. `JAccordingly,it'is to be understood that the above description and drawings aremerely illustrative and that I desire to comprehend within my inventionall such other modifications as may be fairly included within the scopeof the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A wall construction comprising a fastening device and a pair ofedge-grooved panels held in flush-surface edge-abutting relationshipthereby, said fastening device comprising: a substantially liat mainbody element having at least one aperture therethrough adapted toreceive a nail or screw, a pair of fianges attached to said main bodyelement in offset relation thereto and extending in substantiallyparallel relation thereto with one of said flanges extending in adirection diametrically opposite that of the other, each of said liangeshaving a curve portion extending from said substantially parallelrelation to increase substantially the greatest apparent thickness ofsaid flanges defined between planes parallel to said substantiallyparallel relation and to provide a gripping surface; said edge-groovedpanels having the groove defining legs thereof of unequal length and thegrooves so defined being substantially wider than said greatest apparentthickness of said anges, said panels being positioned relative to saidfastening device so that one fiange of said pair of anges fits into agroove of one of said panels while the other flange of said pair offlanges fits into the groove of the other of said panels to hold saidpanels so that the outer surfaces of the `shorter legs defining saidgrooves are in abutment with said flat main body element; thedimensional relationship of said groove width, said apparent thicknessof said flanges, and the thickness of said shorter leg being such thatsaid-groove width less said apparent thickness of said flanges is lessthan said shorter leg thickness; whereby either panel may be removedfrom said flush-surface edge-abutting relationship and placed intoedge-overlap relationship with the re- Inaining panel by inserting theshorter leg of such panel in the groove of the other in which one ofsaid flanges is already retained.

2. A wall construction comprising a fastening device and an edge-groovedpanel, said fastening device comprising: a substantially fiat main bodyelement having at least one aperture therethrough adapted to receive anail or screw, a first pair of flanges attached to said main bodyelement in offset relation thereto and extending in substantiallyparallel relation thereto with one of said fianges extending in adirection diametrically opposite that of the other, and a second pair offlanges attached to said main body element in offset relation theretoand extending in substantialy parallel relation thereto with one of saidflanges extending in a direction diametrically opposite that of theother, said first pair of flanges being spaced from said second pair ofadjacent anges along an imaginary line which is substantiallyperpendicular to said directions of extent of all said angcs, each ofsaid anges having a curve portion extending from said substantiallyparallel relation to increase substantially the greatest apparentthickness of said anges defined between planes parallel to saidsubstantially parallel relation and to provide a more positive grippingsurface; said edge-grooved panel having the groove defining legs thereofof unequal length and the grooves so defined being substantially widerthan said greatest apparent thickness of said flanges, said panel beingpositioned relative to said fastening device so that one ange of each ofsaid pair of anges iits into a groove of said panel so that the outersurface of the shorter leg dening said groove is in abutment with saidflat main body element; the dimensional relationship of said groovewidth, said apparent thickness of said anges, and the thickness of saidshorter leg being such that said groove width less said apparentthickness of said flanges is less than said shorter leg thickness;whereby another panel similar to said panel may alternatively bepositioned in Hush-surface edge-abutting relationship with said panel byfitting the other of said anges into an edgegroove of the other panel,or in edge-overlap relationship with said panel by tting the shorter legof the other panel into the groove of said panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS122,562 Buscher Ian. 9, 1872 283,012 Morton et al. Aug. 14, 1883 635,370Creveling Oct. 24, 1899 876,399 Robinson Jan. 14, 1908 946,536 CromleighJan. 18, 1910 1,398,852 Gilbert Nov. 29, 1921 1,831,162 Crowell Nov. 10,1931 1,863,381 Orthwine June 14, 1932 1,888,611 Wolfson Nov. 22, 19322,038,433 Lawrence Apr. 21, 1936 2,149,918 Komorous Mar. 7, 19392,259,594 Venzie Oct. 21, 1941 2,263,795 Balduf Nov. 25, 1941 2,706,838Scars Apr. 26, 1955

